Aislin McDanford
Aislin McDanford (Born June 6, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland) is an Irish Muggleborn Witch currently working as a shop assistant at Ollivander's. Background Aislin is the only child of Kevin and Anna McDanford (nee Mollown). She spent the first eleven years of her life living in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, where she attended a Muggle primary school. Until she received her Hogwarts letter, she was completely unaware of the existence of the Wizarding World. Family Parents Aislin is the only child of Muggle parents Kevin and Anna. The met when they were fifteen and began dating when they were sixteen. When they were nineteen, Anna discovered she was pregnant with Aislin, and the two married soon after that. Upon settling down in Dun Laoghaire, Kevin began working for his mother's bookstore while Anna eventually opened up her own bakery. Though both her parents were often busy with their respective careers, they always made time for Aislin. When she began primary school, they helped her with her homework and took a great interest in her schooling. Upon receiving her letter for Hogwarts, Kevin was initially wary of sending her to the school while Anna adamantly argued against it, believing the entire situation to be a prank. After several days of deliberation, Kevin decided to get in touch with Ian, his brother whom he hadn't spoken to in roughly seventeen years. Both Anna and Kevin listened to Ian's opinion on the situation, and even allowed him to meet Aislin and show her some magic. In the end, they sent Aislin to Hogwarts and neither is yet to regret the decision. Extended Family Aislin was always close to Elena "Nana" Dungan, her paternal grandmother. She spent many afternoons running around her bookstore and climbing on the bookshelves, much to her grandmother's dismay. Recently, though, her grandmother has been gradually becoming more distant towards her, confusing Aislin greatly. In spite of this, she's been growing closer with her paternal grandfather. Though she hasn't gotten to spend as much time with him, Aislin is also close to Kristopher "Poppy" McDanford. She always enjoyed her visits to his farm out in Drogheda, and has been spending a lot more time there, enjoying the family gatherings immensely. While she is close to most of her father's side of the family, Aislin is much more distant to her mother's side of the family. The Mollowns are an upper-class family that to this day does not see what Anna saw in Kevin and resents the fact that she married the son of a farmer. A rather conservative family, they consider Aislin as an illegitimate child of sorts, despite the fact that Kevin proposed to and married Anna almost immediately after finding out she was pregnant with his child. Aislin has two aunts, two uncles, and five cousins on her mother's side of the family, all of them Muggles. She's never fully felt comfortable around them, instead always feeling like the black sheep of the family despite her attempts to fit in. Until recently, Aislin had never met her Uncle Ian or Aunt Keiley, though she was aware of their existence. However, she was unaware of the fact that they were magical, as her father took special care to shield her from the Wizarding World. Her parents told her that her uncle was a doctor in London, and her aunt worked for the British Government, specifically for the Secret Intelligence Service (better known as MI6). It wasn't until recently that she was told the truth about them. Upon meeting her uncle, she learned that he was actually a Wizard who worked as a healer at St. Mungo's. She also learned that her aunt was a Witch who, at the time, worked for the Ministry of Magic as an Auror, though has recently transferred to the Hit Wizard Division. Almost immediately, Aislin gave up on attempting to fit in with the Mollowns and quickly settled into a comfortable place with the McDanfords, feeling much more at ease with them. This was partially due to the magical members of the family, but even more so was due to the more relaxed, welcoming attitude the McDanfords embraced. Hogwarts Years Aislin was initially a bit worried about going to Hogwarts, but she quickly got over that upon first seeing the castle. She was sorted into Ravenclaw and developed a love for exploring the castle early on in her First Year. After learning how to fly, she also became bound and determined to be a Beater on the Quidditch team at some point. Aislin has quickly discovered a fondness for Herbology, History of Magic and Charms, though she struggles some in Transfiguration and Astronomy. During the summer after her First Year, Aislin attended a Ministry-Sponsored Quidditch Camp, where she got to try playing the Beater Position for the first time. Her First Year at Hogwarts wasn't entirely positive, though, as her Aunt Keiley was attacked during this year. Aislin doesn't talk about this event unless specifically asked about it, and gives only the most basic information when forced to speak about it. During her Second Year, Aislin became a Beater on the Quidditch team, and attended the Snowflake Ball. She also searched for and found a secret passage in the castle with Caitlin Sylvester, which led them to a chamber below the forest with pieces of parchment and what appeared to be memories in it. She also saw part of the Giant Squid with Edmund Wallace. Much to her happiness, her Uncle Ian proposed to his girlfriend, Noelle Lowe, during this year. During the summer between her Second and Third years at Hogwarts, Aislin found out she'd been made Prefect, much to her surprise and delight. Her Third Year was rather uneventful, with Aislin continuing to search for the answers behind the memories that were below the dungeons, this time with Tristan Rice. She also joined the Defence Against the Dark Arts Club, and during a meeting of it, she confronted her greatest fear while learning how to defend herself against a Boggart. Her Fourth Year was equally uneventful, though she did learn how to cast a corporeal Patronus with the Defence Against the Dark Arts Club. Aislin also discovered a new section of the castle with Tristan Rice. Aislin's Fifth Year started off rather rough, as she was at Kings Cross Station when the Death Eaters attacked it. She was injured during the attack, and though she recovered over her Winter Holiday, her fear of the Death Eaters was only further intensified by this attack. Compared to the previous year, Aislin's Sixth Year was very uneventful. She began studying for her NEWTs, though she dropped Divination. Aislin also discovered an interest in wandlore, which in turn led her to begin corresponding with Nicole Strauss, the owner of Ollivander's. Much to her surprise and joy, Aislin was named Head Girl during her Seventh Year. She took her NEWTs, which included a rather interesting practical portion of her Transfiguration NEWT involving a Diricawl, two platypi, and a rather disgruntled man. She scored well on her NEWTs (and even managed to squeak out a passing grade in her Transfiguration NEWT, despite the practical portion). Aislin also took part in a game of Capture the Flag with the Defence Against the Dark Arts Club, which she enjoyed. Adult Life After graduating from Hogwarts, Aislin got a job working at Ollivander's. She is currently in the process of trying to find a place to live in London, and is currently splitting her time between London and Dun Laoghaire. Relationships Friends Aislin met older Ravenclaw student Caitlin Sylvester after literally dropping in on her in Hagrid's Cabin during her first year. Later, the two explored the dungeons of Hogwarts and found a secret passage leading to a hidden chamber containing memories. Aislin is continuing to find out what's going on with the chamber, writing Caitlin to keep her updated about it. She also met Ravenclaw Prefect Kate Thornton in her first year after Kate helped her with her flying. During her second year, Aislin met Tristan Rice out by the lake when she was practicing Transfiguration. The next year, Aislin showed Tristan the chamber with the memories, where he tried to talk her into going into the Forbidden Forest in order to do more research (as they think the chamber is beneath the forest). Aislin also met Edmund Wallace during her second year, when he was looking for the Giant Squid. Later, during her third year, she joined the Defense Club, and met the members of that group. She also met fellow Beater Cerys Talbet during an impromptu Beater practice at the Quidditch Pitch. Aislin also considers members of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Club and the Quidditch players as friends of sorts, even though she doesn't know all of them very well. MP Involvement Aislin was at Kings Cross Station on Platform 9 and 3/4 when it was attacked by the Death Eaters, and was injured during the attack. Said About Her "That's a good colour on you. If you lose your job in Ollivanders, there'll be an opening for you as a Pixie..." '-Cameron Adair in "Perhaps This Isn't The Best of Ideas' Quotes "Becoming a pirate certainly would be interesting. Think of all the adventures you could have. Then again, pirates were never very nice to women, and the government didn't like them. And their ships were dirty. Maybe you should reconsider your career choice." '-Oblivious Searching' "Here, I think you could use this for your halitosis. It might help you sell more... stuff." '-A Bit Turned Around' "Welcome to Ollivander's - Makers of Fine Wands Since.... a really long time ago! I'll be with you in a second - Don't mind the tape measure, it's just a little over-excited!" '-Tuesday Means Cleaning' See also *Ian McDanford *Keiley McDanford *Prefect *Defence Against the Dark Arts Club *Gold Pocket Watch Members Category:OMAdians Category:OMApedia A to Z Category:Iron Category:Ravenclaw Category:Witch Category:Muggleborn Category:Hogwarts Category:Diagon Alley